Star Wars: Episode VIII New Cast Revealed, What Could Their Roles Be?

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Just as Disney and Lucasfilm announced the beginning of production for Star Wars: Episode VIII, it’s also been revealed that three new cast members are set to join the Star Wars: The Force Awakens sequel. On Monday, the studios announced that Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.

Check out the latest Star Wars: Episode VIII update:

So what do we know about the latest additions to the saga?

Benicio Del Toro, who won an Oscar for Traffic, is going to play a villain. This news isn’t as suprising as Dern’s addition since he’s long been rumored to star in the film.

As for Laura Dern, who is an Academy Award nominee, it has been known that the Jurassic Park star has veered from big budget films in the past, such as Rambling Rose and Wild. Knowing her role as a mother in Wild, it’s likely that she could be playing another motherly role for Star Wars: Episode VIII, like perhaps Rey’s mother? Right now though anything is up in the air.

Meanwhile, Kelly Marie Tran is another surprising addition to the cast too. There isn’t much filmography behind Tran. Just like Daisy Ridley and John Boyega before The Force Awakens, Tran is a rising star in several shorts such as The Rising Cost of Cosmetics, Untouchable, and Impressions. Other appearances include some Web shorts for College Humor, TV show cameos in 2013’s Ladies Like Us, Lifetime’s Fall Into Me, TruTV’s Adam Ruins Everything, and Netflix’s XoXo.

Gleaning from Del Toro and Dern’s backgrounds, it would appear that Star Wars: Episode VIII could feature some serious and heavy scenes. But with Tran, whose roles mostly focused on the comedic side, it might mean that Episode VIII has more humor in store for audiences as compared to The Force Awakens. With Han Solo killed off, it could mean Tran is set to take the place of Kylo Ren’s father in the humor department.

Right now, Disney hasn’t made any official announcements as to these new stars’ roles, but one thing is for sure, Del Toro, Dern, and Tran’s universes are about to change forever.